Whatever happened to epic rock?
In high school, I was a classic-rock purist. A snob, actually.
Led Zeppelin, the Who, Pink Floyd. I saw Rush four times in concert, back when Neal Peart had hair. If you tried to play anything else at my parties, I fussed like a 2-year-old.
Meanwhile, my friends were dipping into Beastie Boys, the Cult, and early Guns ‘n’ Roses. I clung to the tried and true.
After college, I found myself doing a 180: Give me nothing but new stuff. Exhausted by a decade of nothing but classic rock, I consumed everything I could get my hands on.
Today, I still lean toward new bands, hoping to feel that same rush I got the first time I embraced Jane’s Addiction and Tool.
But then yesterday, I heard “Ramble On,” and I remembered why I loved Led Zeppelin so: Four incredible musicians perfectly synced without auto-tuners, Pro Tools, or MIDI quantizers.
So this morning, I cranked on the classic-rock station.
It’s as if the rock gods thought I needed a revival: The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” and Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” back to back.
They just don’t make epic rock like that anymore.
